Workers have a right to at least a 30minute meal break or each 6 hours worked in a calendar day. Employers are required to provide 10 consecutive minutes as a rest break for every 4 hours of work.Typically, lunch breaks are unpaid and last at least 30 minutes, during which the employee must be completely relieved of all duties. Texas doesn't require rest breaks. Breaks are left to the discretion of employers. How Many Breaks in a 12-Hour Shift in Texas? Although the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) does not require employers to provide meal or rest breaks, these breaks are customary in most organizations. Texas law follows FLSA which allows for paid breaks of 5 to 20 minutes for the purposes of using the restroom, etc. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, federal law considers short breaks (520 minutes) as compensable work hours, thus paid. The law doesn't give employees the right to take time off to eat lunch (or another meal) or the right to take short breaks during the workday.